A way to generate wind energy on the roof of someone’s home or on a commercial scale has propelled the design of an affordable horizontal axis wind turbine by a Medicine Hat native.

A unit about as long as the average couch could produce 1,500 watts, which would be enough for the average home, said the inventor Garry Emshey, who is from Medicine Hat but lives in Fort McMurray. The turbine could be incorporated into a roof structure.

Excess energy could be stored in a battery or sold to the grid when the energy is not needed, said Emshey.

“It’s the only one of its kind in the world,” said Emshey. “It can be mounted on a roof, in a field, or on a trailer making it mobile,” said Emshey.

Since 2011, when Emshey worked on the first prototype, there have been some modifications to refine the process and components. The blades, which are made from high-density polyethylene, are shorter now and can be replaced individually if required, said Emshey.

One of the advantages of the horizontal axis is that unlike other wind turbines that have to shut down in high winds, this will continue to operate by self-modulating and using a cowling that moves into place.

Alberta Innovates was shown a video of the prototype in operation, and Emshey says he was told to get an application in promptly for funding.